BPILP Fellowships

Requirements

1. Applicants must be 1L or 2Ls at the University at Buffalo Law School.

2. Applicants may work for a legal organization or social agency performing direct legal work in the public interest such as Legal Services offices, Public Defenders or District Attorney’s offices, or any other agency that employs practicing attorneys.

3. Applicants may work on legal issues at a non-profit agency or organization that directly performs public interest endeavors, but does not necessarily practice law. Examples may include homeless shelters, health centers, Veterans support services or similar organizations.

4. Applicants may work for a government agency so long as their goals and the applicant’s project are consistent with working in the public interest.

5. BPILP will consider funding proposals to organizations, other than those outlined in numbers 2, 3, and 4 above, which address broad public policy concerns, such as, but not limited to public health, poverty, civil rights, criminal prosecution and defense, consumer issues, labor, environment, and immigration. Examples include organizations such as the Sierra Club, NOW, NAACP, Public Citizen, individual labor unions or public interest law firms.

6. Applicants may also apply for a fellowship to support a self-conducted research project. The applicant should include detailed information indicating the character and use of the resulting work product. Specifically, the information should include: the need that will be served by the project and why the need is not currently being served by existing organizations; the applicant’s ability to conduct an independent project; and the source for support services such as office space and equipment. A summer fellow who conducts such a project may not receive externship or independent study credit through the law school for the work.

7. Proposals for employment in a political/government campaign or for a political party will not be considered.

8. Applicants may participate in lobbying efforts in the form of legislative advocacy for populations or concerns detailed in number 5 above.

9. Past BPILP Fellows are not eligible to apply for a BPILP fellowship in 2009.